Rethink Plastic, 13 June 2024

EU has “legal duty” to ban PVC, NGOs tell European Commission

Chemical experts have told the EU that it must ban polyvinyl chloride (PVC) if it wants to comply with its own laws.

The move by ClientEarth, European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and Zero Waste Europe, comes after the three NGOs analysed a 2023 report by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) concerning PVC and the danger this plastic and its additives pose.

Used in everything from flooring and pipes to packaging and toys, PVC is one of the world’s most produced and widely used types of plastic. But it is associated with a variety of environmental and health problems, including cancer, reproductive impairment and birth defects. Like PFAS, tiny particles of PVC end up in the environment and remain present for long periods of time.